Not sure why I am writing a blog about this. Has little to do with my commitments, habits, or overall self improvement. Perhaps I have had such a crappy couple of days that I having nothing to write about! Anyway, I have had this piano in my possession for a while. It was my great grandfather Floyd’s. He signed his initials on the sound board in pencil. Anyway the piano is a cheap reproduction of an upright baby grand made in the early 1900s. This model was one of the early models to hit popular mainstream that made owning a piano possible for middle income families and also did not take up the space that a grand piano did. I did some research on it, found the manufacturer and learned some history on it.
What is interesting is that “cheap” by 1920 standards is actually pretty awesome today. They just do not make them like they used to apparently. A new equivalent quality manufactured piano today would cost at least 10K and maybe more, depending on certain elements. Now this old piano is not close to a Steinway in terms of production quality, but could be if given the right attention.
So I did something completely out of character. I hired a custom artisan to restore this piano. I do not even play the piano, and nobody in my family does. I am not going to say how much I paid, but it was not cheap. This is crazy for me as I have never did anything like this. I am usually just a cheap skate when it comes to things like that. Now I will drop a mint on computing equipment, but an instrument?
Anyway, I will report back one day. I want to see what impact my Grandfathers old piano has on my family. Will I be inviting a new dynamic into our living room? Will we become less focused on TV, and more creative? Will we be drawn to it, to cluster around it and maybe sing a song or to? Maybe I will learn to play some good ol fashioned 20s, 30s, or 40s sing along piano songs just for fun.
Guy Reams
This is awesome information about that piano! I remember playing it as a kid. More like “pounding” on it! Thank you for sharing this bit of family history!
I hope we see a picture of the piano when it’s finished.